Everton vs Crystal Palace

A place in the FA Cup round four is up for grabs as Everton and Crystal Palace meet in the replay of their third-round tie at Goodison Park.

It’s been an uneventful start to 2024 for Everton as back-to-back goalless draws against Crystal Palace in the initial FA Cup leg and Aston Villa in Premier League action extended their winless streak to six matches. Scoreless in three competitive outings in a row, the ‘Toffees’ have been dealt another psychological blow in the build-up to this fixture, facing further punishment after being found guilty of breaching FFP rules again. In addition to November’s ten-point deduction, they could soon see more points taken away from them. It would significantly diminish their hopes of securing Premier League survival. If it’s any consolation, Sean Dyche’s men have emerged victorious from their last four FA Cup replays played at Goodison, where they’ve also defeated Crystal Palace in five of their six most recent H2Hs.

On the other hand, the winter break has offered Crystal Palace with an extensive rest period, with Roy Hodgson’s side yet to be involved in Premier League action in 2024. Though it may affect their competitive form, it’s a blessing in disguise for Hodgson’s team as they’ve had enough time to regroup and welcome back long-term absentees amid a dreadful run of one win from their last ten competitive matches (D4, L5). However, since beating Burnley in early November, the ‘Eagles’ have gone winless on four consecutive domestic travels (D2, L2), conceding precisely two goals on three occasions. It’s been seven years since they last featured in the FA Cup replay, but the problem is they’ve failed to make it out of the third round three times in the four previous campaigns.